Under the Willow
by Kitsu Maxwell
Summary: His classmates are cruel, his father is a drunk, and he has a soul crushing fear of trains. Despite all of this, all of his problems, he still tries to offer what he can to this boy who seems to only need an ear to vent to. He never expected anything in return. HiJack/FrostCup
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey! Ok, so, since all of my other writing is currently on a flash drive lost somewhere in my house, I started this story to have something to work on. Hopefully, I find my flash drive soon and can get back to work on my other stuff, but in the mean time, there's this. I hope you enjoy it.~**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters or the movies/books they come from. They are all property of their respective creators. I'm making no money from this. **

**Warnings: Hinted character death and dismemberment. Hinted alcoholism. Hinted child abuse.**

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Prologue

"Momma, do you think Toothless will like his new food?" A small, freckled boy asked the woman walking just ahead of him alongside the roughly paved road. He made sure to skip over any cracks along the crumbling edge of the pavement, his dirty sneakers making barely a noise as he did so. He didn't want his mother to fall and break her back after all.

"I'm sure he'll love it, Hiccup." responded the young mother with an indulgent smile.

"It's got beef in it, right? And chicken? Do puppies like beef and chicken?" He continued to question, his green eyes darting up to follow the sway of his mother's braided hair.

"They can't get enough of it!" She ensured enthusiastically.

"He wanted my fish last night. Maybe he thinks he's a cat. Maybe we shoulda got him cat food."

"He wanted your fish because you were holding your plate in front of his nose." The woman chuckled as she glanced ove her shoulder, throwing an amused look towards the small boy with her own green eyes. The boy puffed out his cheeks. He'd hoped neither of his parents had caught that. The woman laughed again at the expression as she once again faced forward, shifting the grocery bags in her arms to have a more comfortable grip on them.

"Don't you worry, my little one," She reassured as she stepped over the old railway tracks, "I'm sure the new pup will be happy with what we got him. You double and triple checked the shopping list several times yourself after all..."

The woman continued to speak, but the voice was gradually lost on the small ears of the boy as she continued to walk and he remained where he was. He'd meant to keep going with her, really he had, but his foot had gotten stuck between the boards of the railway tracks. Annoyed, he knelt down and wrapped his hands around his ankle, giving a few sharp tugs that did nothing to dislodge his trapped foot. Too bad he didn't have any butter. That always worked really well to unstick things.

The sudden dinging of a bell startled him. He fell backwards, landing on his bottom with a soft 'oomph'. The big white bars on either side of the tracks began to lower, the sound of the bells almost deafening in his ears.

"Momma!" He yelled, frightened by all the noise. Over a block away already the woman stopped and turned abruptly at the call, having thought the boy was still just behind her. Her green eyes widened at the sight of her small son still on the tracks all that ways behind her.

"Hiccup!" She yelled, dropping her shopping bags and taking off at a sprint back towards her struggling boy. The boy saw what he thought was probably a tennis ball roll out of the bag and across the old, uneven pavement. It was hard to tell at this distance, especially with tears of fear clouding his vision.

To his left a train blared its whistle.

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Hiccup jolted awake, his sheets tangled around his sweat soaked body and his chest heaving as his heart thudded painfully in his chest. Wide green eyes stared unseeingly up at the darkened ceiling above his bed, dim starlight peeking in between the slats of his blinds to make sight only just barely possible in the dark room. He swallowed reflexively around his gasping breaths, his mouth feeling too dry and too warm. A high pitched whine came from the side of the bed.

Trying to calm his breathing, Hiccup turned his head to the large black face propped on the edge of his bed, the sparse light catching on large, glassy green eyes. A thin freckled hand came up to push damp hair away from his face so he could see his best friend properly. A dull thumping could be heard as the large dog's tail waved lazily back and forth across the carpet.

"Hey bud..." he greeted quietly, reaching out to place his faintly shaking hand on the broad furry head. The contact alone went a long way toward calming him down. The silence stretched for a few minutes. Hiccup's breath gradually evened out and his heart slowed to a more natural rhythm. He rolled onto his side and gently moved his fingers to scratch behind a big triangle ear, causing the thumping noise from the floor to start back up with an increased tempo. "It's ok Toothless. It was just a dream." He lied. His body curled a little into itself, the sensitive, scarred skin on what was left of his left leg rubbing against the sheets in an irritating way.

His new found calm was shattered when a door slammed on the other side of the house, followed by the clink of bottles and a few muttered swears. His dad, Stoick 'The Vast' Haddock, was home from work. Hiccup checked the clock as Toothless began to whine again at the growing anxiety in his master. It was just after two in the morning. His father usually got off at one. Which meant he'd made a pit stop before coming home again. He'd probably be up drinking for the next hour or two before he passed out on the couch. Hopefully, the large man wouldn't see the need to come to Hiccup to start yelling at him for some odd reason or other. There was always some reason. Something Hiccup had done wrong or neglected to do, or sometimes his father just wanted to rant at him about things he had no power over.

Shifting carefully in his bed, and thanking every god he knew of that his springs didn't squeak, Hiccup made room for his dog on his bed and made a quick patting motion beside him. The large animal quickly and quietly complied, hopping up on the bed and settling down next to his master protectively. Thin freckled arms wrapped around a broad neck and a pale freckled face buried itself in thick dark fur. He needed to get some more sleep. He had school in the morning. Something told him that his rest would be elusive, however. At least until his father's curses petered out into silence in the early hours of the morning.

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**A/N: So that's it. Sorry it's pretty short, but this is just the prologue, so... Let me know what you think? I've got a plot all figured out but I'm a little shakey on the details. I'd love to hear your ideas and opinions and maybe pull some inspiration from them. :3**


	2. Chapter 2

**Warnings: Some bullying and a brief mention of blood.**

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Chapter 1

The morning dawned bright and early... Ok, so maybe it was more early than bright. Details. Hiccup hadn't gotten much more sleep. The comforting security of having Toothless so close by was enough to help him doze, but full sleep evaded him. It didn't help that he'd had to listen to his father's heavy footsteps and faint grumbles until about four in the morning. It must have been a pretty rough night at the bar for him to have been up so late. Stoick worked as a bouncer at one of the local clubs. The pay wasn't great but there weren't many other places that would put up with a moody, seven foot tall, wall of a man. At least it kept food in the kitchen. But the result was late hours and often very little sleep for one Hiccup Haddock.

Thankfully, the man hadn't seen fit to come storming into Hiccup's room over any of the many things he was sure to have done wrong the day prior. The sun hadn't quite peaked yet when Hiccup finally decided to give up any pretenses of being able to get any more sleep, wearily kicking his thin sheets and blanket from his leg and a half with a sigh. Toothless gave a happy growl at the movement, his tail flopping heavily back and forth as he decided to give his small master a good morning 'kiss'.

"Ugh! Toothless! It's too early for this." Hiccup fought valiantly, trying to push his friend's large furry head away from his face, but finally had to concede defeat when the dog climbed on top of him, flopping down and sending a woomph of air from his lungs.

"Ok! Ok, Bud, you win." The dog panted happily, his tongue lolling out, obviously pleased with himself. Hiccup smiled and scratched behind both ears affectionately. It was hard to linger on his nightmares or is dismal relationship with his dad when there was over a hundred pounds of furry black mutt determined to see him smile. With a light chuckle, Hiccup pushed Toothless from his chest and sat up to reach for his prosthetic foot.

Whenever Stoick came home with a couple new bottles he would usually be dead to the world come morning, so Hiccup didn't worry too much over the little noises he made as he got up and got ready for his day. Once he'd showered and dressed he went to the kitchen and quietly had a meager breakfast of cereal and coffee. As expected, Stoick was snoring away on the couch, a mostly empty whiskey bottle still grasped limply in his massive fingers. Hiccup left the pot of coffee on, knowing his dad would probably need a cup when he eventually woke, no doubt sporting a raging headache from his hangover. Just because his dad didn't love him, didn't mean he didn't love his dad, after all. Besides, if he was extra good for long enough then maybe one of these days his dad could forgive him for the accident that had taken his mother away...

_'Right... And maybe fish will learn to swim in the sky and Toothless will grow wings and start spouting fire...'_ Hiccup sighed at his thoughts. He knew his father would never forgive him. Just as he could never forgive himself.

He listlessly washed up his few breakfast dishes before letting Toothless into the back yard. It took a bit of coaxing. As it did every morning. Sometimes Hiccup thought his dog wanted to lock him away in a place where he could always look after him and keep him safe. Maybe burry him behind his dog house with his bones and favorite chew toys... With a small placating smile he gave his best friend one more pat and an extra scratch behind the ears, assuring him he'd be back after school just like any other day. The canine whined but obediently trotted out into the yard. Hiccup wished he could let him stay inside at least while he was at school, but he didn't trust Toothless and his dad to be alone in the same house together. Which of them he was trying to protect here, however, he wasn't sure.

The walk to school was uneventful and chilly. It was early October and autumn was just starting to latch its hold onto the early mornings, leaving sparse frost on the grass that would likely be gone before the sun got very high in the sky. Hiccup enjoyed this weather. The way the air cooled his lungs and bit at his face, only to be warmed by the light of the sun as he walked through its rays. It was a delicate joy, at best, but Hiccup had to take his pleasure where he could.

The school entered his line of sight far too soon it seemed. He paused and took one last deep breath of the clean morning air, trying to savor the short moment of near happiness, before letting it out and allowing the familiar weight of dread to curl in his stomach. Another day, another opportunity for others to hurt him, another fight to stay hidden from the malicious eyes of his fellow students. Sure, not all of them were out to get him, but when the few who did mean him harm came after him, he knew there would be no help forthcoming. As bright as the paint job was, this building was a place of darkness for Hiccup, almost as dark and oppressive as his own home. A few of the teachers did try to keep the bullying to a minimum, but they couldn't be everywhere at once.

His shoulders hunched up slightly as he passed through the bright red double doors leading into the building. It was a side entrance that not many used. His already small body seemed to shrink further as he stuck to the walls and tried to remain unseen, hurrying along to his locker so he could fetch the books he would need for his classes. This early in the morning there weren't many other students wandering the halls, most of them either in the cafeteria taking advantage of the provided breakfast or loitering in the courtyard at the front of the school. This meant, however, that there were fewer people around to see when an imposing figure slunk up behind the small boy.

"Hiccup. You're here rather early this morning." The voice slid like oil over Hiccups ears. He froze, recognizing it. He didn't want to turn around. He didn't want to confirm the presence of one of his least favorite bullies. Long bony fingers on his shoulder took the decision away from him, jerking to spin him and press him against the wall, his back pack falling to the floor beside him.

"Pitch! H-hi!" His eyes were wide with fear but a nervous smile was spread on his face, hoping against hope to keep this run in painless. The thin, dark smile on the taller boy's face didn't do much to foster that hope.

Kozmotis Pitchiner, more commonly known as Pitch around the school (or 'the boogey man' when he wasn't around to hear it), was a tall, lanky, pale individual with dark hair and eyes such a bright amber they may as well have been gold. Unpleasant would be one word to describe him. It would also be a severe understatement. Pitch had a habit of getting inside your head and picking you apart piece by piece until all of your fears were laid bare. He was on pretty much everyone's 'must avoid' list, but Hiccup's most of all. Pitch had a certain fondness for the smaller boy. Possibly because it was just so easy to break him down and therefore amusing to him. Hiccup couldn't be sure, his mind wasn't wired to understand people with psychopathic tendencies.

"It's quite fortuitous that I managed to run into you," Pitch's sharp toothed smile widened a fraction, "You see, I seem to have completely forgotten that we had an assignment due third period. You know the one, yes?"

He did. It was a math assignment that had taken him nearly an hour to complete. Hiccup's face fell.

"I... Don't suppose you'd be happy with a nice study session before class?"

"Now, Hiccup, I know you're smarter than that." The fingers on Hiccup's shoulder dug, producing a small wince from the boy. Pitch calmly raised his other hand, palm up with his fingers curling a bit in the traditional 'gimme' pose.

Hiccup hesitated. He didn't want to hand over his work! He'd spent a lot of time on it! Surely there was a better solution here. Pitch could be rational... Couldn't he?... Gathering up what little courage he had at the moment, he tried again.

"C-come on, Pitch. You can get that assignment done before class. I'll help you! I-I'll-..." Hiccup's vaguely hopeful smile fell away completely with a yelp and a violent flinch as the hand not occupied with bruising his shoulder slammed abruptly against the wall by his head, a look of irritation flashing across the taller boy's face. His heart pounded painfully in his chest, and for a moment thought that Pitch might actually get violent with him. Then the irritation was melting away, replaced by a dark look and a wide smile full of malicious promises. Hiccup preferred the annoyed sneer.

Pitch released Hiccup's shoulder, withdrawing his hand to reach into a pocket on his long, dark coat. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to this," a blatant lie. "but it seems you've left me with no choice."

Hiccup's eyes widened, his heart stuttering in his chest and his knees going weak, when Pitch withdrew his hand from his pocket, holding an item that the shorter boy immediately recognized.

"Ahh, I see you know what this is. It took a bit of effort to find one. They don't make many of them anymore." Pitch held up the seemingly innocent piece of carved wood, twirling it deftly along his fingers. Hiccup's eyes stayed riveted to the small object."The sound it makes is incredibly realistic. Shall I demonstrate?" He held the open end of the wood up to his lips, taking a small breath. A bolt of pure terror shot through Hiccup like electricity, images from a long ago memory flashing behind his eyes from just the _thought_ of that _sound. _

_Screaming. Pain. So much pain lancing through all parts of him, but especially his legs. Wide green eyes so close to his face, staring blankly at him. Blood... So much blood! Blood everywhere! Seeping into his clothes, his skin. Staining him red as he screamed..._

"NO!" He shouted desperately, both hands darting out to grasp onto a pale wrist in an effort to stop Pitch from blowing into the train whistle. "P-please. Don't. I-I-I'll give you my paper. You win. Ok? S-so... Please..." His breath was coming too quickly, his stomach was rolling with nausea, he could feel tears pricking at his eyes and a feeling of lightheadedness was sweeping over him as his head throbbed in time with his pulse. He knew Pitch could see the effect he'd had on him too, if that sly smile was any indication.

"Now there's a good boy." He mockingly patted the smaller boy on the head, reveling in the terror he'd caused as Hiccup shook beneath his fingers. He pocketed the whistle as Hiccup dug through his backpack, finding and retrieving the sought after papers before handing them over to his tormentor. "Was that really so hard?" Pitch chuckled. Hiccup said nothing, his ashamed gaze boring a hole into the floor. "It's always so nice to talk with you. Until next time." The pale teen tucked the paper away in his own bag then walked coolly away with the parting remark.

Hiccup stood there for another moment, trying to calm his shaking. A few students walked by laughing at some joke they'd shared amongst each other... Oh gods he was going to be sick. Snatching his bag from the floor he darted to the nearest bathroom. Looked like he was going to be late for first period.

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First, second, third, and fourth periods all went by mostly without incident. His third period math teacher had, of course, been disappointed in him when he'd had to tell her he didn't have his assignment. He'd done his best to ignore Pitch's smug expression when he'd turned in his own copy of the homework. Aside from all things Pitch related his day had been fairly typical so far. He'd kept to himself and others had left him alone. The time was enough to calm himself back down and get his day back onto its normal track. It was time for lunch now. This was, perhaps, his favorite part of the day. The part where he could retreat to the relative safety of the only spot on campus he could be afforded some privacy.

Hiccup sat against the base of a large willow tree. It had been mostly by chance that he'd found this place at all. A day when certain students of the school, Burgess High, were being particularly nasty towards him had driven him to seek solitude outside of his usual haunts. He'd gone outside and made every effort to avoid all of the other teenagers out on their lunch break. It'd led him to the seldom visited field behind the school. A little further off than that there was a line of trees. Thinking those trees would be a restful and safe place to spend his lunch, he'd checked it out.

The willow was a surprise, its long, whip-like branches trailing the ground in a heavy curtain of greenery, tinting the invading sunlight in its bright green and yellow spring colors. Passing through the branches had been like entering into a completely different world. It felt like he was completely cut off from everything else. Like this was a world just for him. A welcoming place where people didn't try to hurt him with their words, his dad didn't hate him for being alive, and the weight of his missing leg didn't feel so heavy. It was perfect. Since that day, Hiccup spent every lunch period here. No one ever followed him and it was secluded enough that he figured no one would ever find him here on accident.

He pulled his sketch book from his bag and opened it to a page he'd been working on in his last class. A pencil was also retrieved as he settled in to work. On the page was the general outline of one of his favorite dragons (of his own creation of course), a sleek, black reptile with broad wings and vivid green eyes. Perhaps his love for the fantastical fire breathing creatures could be construed as childish, but who was there to judge him, really? There wasn't anyone who would look that closely and those who would were already set on hurting him so it didn't really matter.

He was working on some of the smaller details on the dragon's scales when a noise startled him. His eyes started up from his book to find a boy standing just inside his sanctuary, the branches of the willow still swaying where he'd pushed through. The boy looked tall. If Hiccup were standing then he would definitely outsize him by at least a few inches. Though that wasn't too unusual with Hiccup being so short himself. The more unusual characteristic of the other boy was his hair. It was a glaring snowy white and looked almost purposely wind blown. His dark eyebrows were slanted low over the brightest blue eyes Hiccup had ever seen. His handsome face was pulled into an annoyed frown.

"Seriously?" He exclaimed almost accusingly. "This is one of the most secluded places in this damn school and even it's taken?"

Hiccup flushed and quickly snapped his book shut, turning to stuff it back into his bag. He didn't need another unpleasant encounter today thank you very much. "Sorry! I can go. Spot's all yours..." He kept his eyes down and his hands shook slightly in his nervousness as he pulled the zipper closed on his bag. He didn't know this guy, didn't know if he would limit himself to only expressing his annoyance verbally or if he would get violent. The bruises from last week when a guy named Dagur had gotten inexplicably irritated with him still throbbed dully as a reminder to be careful about these things. He stood and made to leave, trying to step quickly around the white haired boy in an effort to flee, keeping his eyes to the ground.

"...Wait." A cold hand landed on his shoulder and he couldn't help the flinch that followed, images of that morning with Pitch flashing through his mind as his eyes darted up to look at the owner of said hand. He was surprised to see what looked like guilt on the other's face. It was enough to keep him from trying to escape the hold right away.

The white haired boy sighed heavily. "Sorry, I've just been having a crap day. I shouldn't have snapped at you." The words were heavy with reluctance but also laced with the guilt Hiccup had seen in those too blue eyes. He pulled back his hand and an awkward silence followed in which Hiccup watched the other boy become increasingly more uncomfortable. A pale hand pushed through paler hair. "So uh... Yeah... I'll just..." He gestured weakly back the way he come from before he turned to leave.

"Do you want to talk about it?" The words were out of Hiccup's mouth before he'd even registered that he was about to say them. He wanted to bite his traitorous tongue in half. Hadn't he ended up in a worse place when he'd offered help last time?

The stranger paused before turning back to look at a nervous and fidgeting Hiccup, an unreadable expression on his face. "Huh?"

"W-well," Hiccup stuttered, gesturing uselessly with his hands, as his eyes darted everywhere except towards the other boy, "I-I mean, if you were having a bad enough day to uh- to y-yell at someone you don't even know, then it has to have been... been a pretty bad day, right? S-so maybe it would help to uh... To talk... About it?" He finished a bit lamely, looking up at the other boy cautiously.

The white haired boy seemed surprised and maybe a little bit amused. "I act like an ass to you out of the blue and you want to try to make me feel better?" He asked, a dark eyebrow arching curiously as a small smile began to tug at his lips.

Well, when he put it that way it just sounded ridiculous. Hiccup puffed out his cheeks in slight agitation. Those pretty blue eyes were laughing at him. He could just tell. He turned to leave.

"A simple 'no' would have worked just fine." He muttered, a faint blush coloring his face.

"What? No! No no no! No." The other boy rushed to stand in his path, holding up both hands placatingly. "I didn't mean it like that."

Hiccup gave him a flat, distrusting look. "Then how did you mean it?"

"It's just... Normally people aren't that nice."

Hiccup gave him another flat look. The white haired boy sighed.

"Ok. Look. I think we got off on the wrong foot here." A charming smile flashed across his face and Hiccup was nearly blinded by how perfectly white it was. "My name is Jack, Jack Overland Frost." He offered his hand to shake.

Hiccup was still fairly uncertain about this whole situation, but he couldn't deny that, without the scowl he'd barged in here with, the boy… No, Jack, did look pretty friendly and a lot less threatening. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if he…

"Hiccup… My name is Hiccup." He offered quietly, grasping and shaking the other's pale hand.

"Pfft! Seriously? Someone actually named their kid Hiccup?" Jack was obviously trying hard not to laugh. Hiccup shoved away the initial hurt. This was the way most people reacted to his name. The best way to respond was to make a joke about it. 'Laugh with them and they wouldn't be laughing at you', that sort of deal.

"Oh, yeah, ha ha. Go ahead and laugh, but it's not as bad as it could be." He leaned forward, a serious expression on his face. "My cousin's name is Snotlout."

Jack couldn't hold back anymore and promptly broke out into a laughing fit, clutching at his sides. Hiccup couldn't help smiling along with him, the pale boy's mirth proving contagious.

"W-why- Ha ha! Why would you even- Ha ha ha!" It seemed he could barely speak around his laughter so Hiccup gave it a few moment's before he responded.

"It's a viking thing. My family's ancestors used to believe that a hideous name would scare off gnomes and trolls."

"And Hiccup was the best they could come up with?" He asked around subsiding giggles.

"What, so first my name is too weird and now it's not weird enough? Is there no way to please you?" Hiccup's hands moved in broad, expressive gestures, a look of mock affront on his face.

Jack smirked and leaned in a bit. "Sure there is. You just gotta look extra hard to find it."

Was that some sort of invitation? If it was then what kind of invitation was it? Was it just friendly or… Or was Jack… Flirting with him? Suddenly those pretty blue eyes, bright white hair, and perfect pale skin were way too close. The doors to Hiccup's very limited social knowledge slammed shut and his thought process went into meltdown. Heart in his throat and face flaming he backed up a few steps, retreating to a safe enough distance to gather his wits about him again. Of course Jack wasn't flirting with him. A person would have to be insane to want… All this… Eyes pinned to the ground as they were, he missed the look of disappointment and remorse that flitted across Jack's face.

"So, uh… D-did you want to talk? About what made you upset that is…" A moment of silence passed before Hiccup bravely decided to glance back up. Jack looked like he was giving it some serious thought, staring at the shorter boy in an intense way that made him want to squirm. Just as the pale teen opened his mouth to speak, however, he was interrupted by a bell in the not too far off distance, making both boys turn their heads in its direction. Lunch was over.

When they turned to look back at each other Jack wore a small smile, not sure if he was disappointed or relieved at the interruption. "How about a rain check on that?" He reached over and gave a friendly apt to Hiccup's head. The shorter boy flinched at the initial contact, but relaxed as the pat turned into a gentle ruffling of his hair. He hadn't been touched so gently in years, and it was… Nice.

"See ya later, Freckles." Then Jack was through the willow branches and jogging away. He was already half way across the field before Hiccup thought to step through the leafy curtain himself and yell after him.

"My name is Hiccup!" A far off chuckle was the only indication that he'd been heard.

The rest of the day was dull and uneventful, generally falling along the lines of the usual happenings of his life, but every now and then he found himself smiling at the memory of that afternoon, the morning all but forgotten in the wake of bright blue eyes, snow white hair, and a gentle touch.

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**AN: Well, what you think? Worth the wait? Not worth it at all? How'd I do? I wanna know! So do me a favor and leave me a pretty little review, yeah? Even if it's just a few words. Or a short story in itself! Truly, I'm not even picky! **

**Oh! Also... Sorry if this seemed to take a long time. I'm not even going to pretend this will have a regular update schedule, since I don't have a regular schedule myself and this more of a hobby than a real priority... But I want you all to know that this story _will_ get finished. Seriously, I have the whole thing planned out! But writing it is a bit tedious... It helps to know there are people waiting on me. -_glances meaningfully at the review box-_**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Hey guys! Yeah, it's been a while. Life kinda went and smack me in the face. It's ok though! It's a good thing! My wife is pregnant! So, yeah. Been a little busy. lol I still want to work on my stories and get them out to the best of my ability, but don't expect updates to be anywhere near regular. That said, on with the story!**

**Wanings: None, really, this time around.**

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Chapter 2

The week was not going well for Jack Overland Frost. Now, life in general was not especially kind to this boy, but this week really took the cake. There was a certain notoriety that came with being the captain of the lacrosse team. With such notoriety came expectations. One of which was to be the boyfriend of the head cheerleader. Now, this wouldn't generally be such a bad thing, given that the head cheerleader, Heather, was a rather attractive brunette with curves in all the right places, big eyes, and pretty much flawless skin. The problem was that Jack was completely, indisputably, flamingly gay. He wouldn't know what to do with a pair of breasts if they were shoved right in his face! (and until this week he'd been able to say he'd never had to have that particular experience…)

To the girl's credit, no one actually knew that, though, so it was to her understandable confusion that every one of her advances were turned down. Pretty much anyone in the know was confused as well. Jack was good looking, talented, charming, and pretty high up on the social food chain. So was Heather. So why weren't the two together? The situation was drawing all kinds of attention and would-be cupids out of the woodwork trying to 'set them up properly'. The most persistent of which had been, without a doubt, Heather's best friend, Astrid. The girl had done everything short of shoving the two of them into a closet and swallowing the key.

Thankfully, Jack's own best friend, E. Aster Bunnymund (the guy refused to let anyone know just what that E stood for), had been in Jack's corner for the whole thing and helped to curb the increasingly annoying romantic enthusiasts. Not that the other teen was ever all that understanding of Jack's plight.

"I'm telling you Aster, they're getting crazier! Today, I found mistletoe over my locker. Mistletoe! It's October! And Heather was right there like she'd been thrown at me! Literally! I don't even know who did it!" Jack all but flung his books into his locker, clear irritation in his voice.

"I bet'cha it was Rebecca. Y'know how much that sheila likes Christmas." The taller teen chuckled, a thick Australian accent lacing his words. Aster Bunnymund was a tall boy, with a lean yet muscular build. He was pretty handsome, too, with messy, ashy blond hair, several tattoos, and bright green eyes that fairly sparked with his amusement at the moment.

"This isn't funny!" Jack slammed his locker shut then turned on his heel to march off to the cafeteria for lunch, grumbling as he did so. "I don't understand why they're being so pushy about this."

"An' I don't understand why yer bein' so difficult. What would it hurt to jus' cave in an' give the girl a shot? God knows I would." The taller teen leered suggestively.

"Yeah, you've said, and to be honest, I'd rather not hear the details again, thank you."

"Aww, yer no fun, Jackie." The Aussie nudged Jack's shoulder playfully with his own, inviting an insulted frown from the shorter boy at the comment. Jack was tons of fun! "But you gotta admit, their persistence is somethin' to be admired. That's how many times now that you've had to turn the poor girl away?"

"I don't have to admit anything…" Jack muttered, "And I lost count somewhere after twelve." Aster laughed at Jack's look of utter aggravation.

"I'm tellin ya, Jackie, y'need to just go with it for a while, maybe even get laid, then put the whole thing behind ya." Jack scowled at Aster's words as the taller boy flippantly waved a hand through the air, as though he were physically tossing the situation over his shoulder. Jack wished it were all so easy… But he couldn't tell Aster just why that wasn't possible for him. He and Aster had been friends since they were kids. It wasn't the sort of friendship he was willing to risk by sharing his preferences. They'd shared a bed a few times on sleep overs, changed in front of each other in the locker room, and their play fighting sometimes got kind of physical. If Aster knew that Jack swung the way he did, then the Aussie would be going over every one of those innocent memories and twisting them in his head, over analyzing every interaction they'd ever had and ever would have. The fact that Aster was no where near his type would have very little to do with anything.

The boy he'd met just yesterday under the willow tree however…

That had been a fairly awkward experience for Jack. His patience had finally run out with the entire school's population and he just needed to get out for a while. He'd just needed to get away from any and every person who might have known anything about anything that was going on with him and the head cheerleader. So he ran. He'd tried a few hiding spots, each of which had been useless in actually hiding him, before he'd stumbled upon the willow tree behind the field. It had seemed so perfect until he'd found out that the hiding spot was already taken. So he'd snapped at the boy. Then the boy had looked up and Jack had looked into the deepest green eyes he'd ever seen in his life, eyes that had barely registered that he was there before they'd been redirected to the ground. Jack remembered his lungs damn near seizing with guilt when he realized the other guy was shaking as he rushed to pack up, muttering apologies as he got up to run away. It had been a gut reaction more than anything to reach out and stop him.

He'd gotten a better look at him then. Beneath those unfairly gorgeous eyes was a round nose and a gap toothed mouth. His skin was kinda pale, which made the freckles that seemed to be just freaking everywhere stand out all the more. He was short, and the baggy green shirt and fur lined vest did their best to hide a thin, coltish body, if he were any judge. And to top it all off was a shaggy head of brown hair that shone in several shades of red and gold in the filtered sunlight that made it through the willow branches. 'Adorable' was a word that came immediately to mind.

All of his fabled charm had abandoned him in that moment and he'd had to fight to not make a complete fool of himself as he'd apologized to the cutie. It had been surprisingly easy to talk to him after that. He'd proven to be both kind and funny, though with a slightly sarcastic edge, but Jack found that he liked even that. Hiccup had been everything he hadn't known he wanted, but when Jack had tried some light flirting the other boy had backed up so fast it was like he'd been bitten.

"Oi! Jackie! You in there, Frostbite?" A hand waved in front of his eyes, pulling him from his thoughts.

"Huh?" Jack blinked at his friend and smiled somewhat apologetically.

"There ya are. I lost ya for a bit. Where'd y'go, Mate? You were startin' to look like someone'd hit yer cat." That was saying something. Jack loved his cat.

Jack frowned and faced forward again as they rounded the corner and entered the hall that housed the doors to the cafeteria. "Just… Stressing about this whole Heather thing…"

Aster frowned back in concern. "Cripes, this is really botherin' ya, ain't it."

Jack didn't answer, since it wasn't really a question anyway, and pushed through the cafeteria doors.

"Jack!"

Jack jumped, his gaze darting across the room to a certain blond haired girl who was standing and waving to him very obviously. Next to her, at the table, sat a pretty brunette who seemed to have had her back turned to him a moment ago but was now looking over her shoulder at him with wide blue eyes. Astrid and Heather. Astrid was smiling widely as she waved and beckoned him over, but there was a hint of threat in those icy blue eyes, as if to say 'Get your ass over here, or else...'

Jack's eyes went wide. He turned to his best friend in a bit of panic, as though he could provide some solutions to this situation. Jack didn't _want _to go over there. He didn't _want_ to be forced into an awkward lunch with a girl who wanted to date him so desperately and her oftentimes violent friend who would do whatever she had to to make that date happen. (Seriously, why couldn't they just take 'No!' for an answer?!) Aster stared back, his own eyes wide in sympathy now that he had an inkling of how this was affecting his occasionally highly annoying friend. Sure, he liked to poke fun at the kid, but Jack was truly upset right now and that was just not on.

In the span of a second Jack realized what his only option was. The panic cleared from his face, a look of determination replacing it. He gave his best friend an intent look that made the taller boy gulp nervously. He knew that look. That serious face always preceded something awkward or painful for the Aussie. It meant that Jack was about to do something stupid or reckless.

Out of the corner of his eye Jack could already see Astrid making her way towards them, likely having run out of patience and determined it would be better to just fetch Jack and drag him over there, by force if needed. Jack quickly placed a hand on Aster's shoulder, his eyes taking on a pleading edge to them.

"Aster, you're my best friend, and if you don't survive this then I will sing of your brave sacrifice for years to come." He patted the taller boy's shoulder, eyes narrowing and not straying to the approaching blond girl at all. "Hold her off for me." And with that he turned and bolted, paying no heed to the angry shout of the blond girl or the distressed call from the blond boy.

"You're a good friend Aster!" He called over his shoulder as he heard the unmistakable sounds of an enraged Astrid running up against the agitated wall that was his best friend. Jack chuckled as he rounded a corner. So he would have to go without lunch today. It was just the price he had to pay. Aster was the one paying the real price right now. As big as the guy was and as small as Astrid was in comparison, Jack knew the girl was a force to be reckoned with and his best friend would have his work cut out for him in holding her off for any amount of time. Jack would have to remember to get the guy a carrot cupcake from his favorite bakery later.

Minutes later and he was outside, sprinting towards the one place he knew no one else would find him. Yesterday's encounter had been awkward and unexpected, even a little disappointing there at the end, but today he'd be going in with the knowledge of what was waiting for him. There was an adorable brunette there that would be keeping him company during lunch today. _So _much better than the alternative!

* * *

Hiccup sighed as he slumped against the familiar bark of his favorite tree, not yet reaching for his much loved sketch book. His eyelids drooped as he was finally able to relax a bit. He'd spent extra time last night on his homework, completing a make-up assignment for his math class in addition to his usual work. It took twice as long and would only be worth half the credit of the original homework, but it was better than nothing. He had to keep his grades up, after all, and missing assignments took a pretty big bite out of his overall grade if he didn't stay on top of things. His father had enough things to yell at him for, he didn't need to add mediocre grades to that list.

As a result, however, he'd been up later than expected and ended up falling asleep at his desk atop his books. When his father had gotten home and discovered his son's chores left undone and the boy asleep in his room he had been less than pleased. Some unpleasant words had been yelled, a few things had been thrown, and Hiccup had been made to finish those neglected chores before his dad finally passed out on the couch. Needless to say, the boy hadn't gotten much sleep. He'd already nearly dozed off in his second period English. (Though, to be honest, it was usually fairly difficult to stay awake in that class, having already read half of the reading material they assigned for 'silent reading time.')

Now he was able to rest, and he did, letting his eyes fall closed as the calming sound of the wind through the willow branches serenaded him. It was kind of chilly today, but the breeze itself was warm, tugging gently at his hair. It wouldn't be a good idea to take a nap… The bell that would signal the end of lunch was too far away to wake him if he did… But this place was so nice and relaxing. It was such a wonderful break from the usual state of his nerves… Maybe just a minute or two more, then he'd force his eyes open and occupy himself with something.

The sound of pounding feet went largely unnoticed by the dozing teen, the grass and dirt having muffled the sound until it got much closer. Then the quiet was shattered as the willow branches were violently shoved aside, the panting form of another person bursting through the thin barrier. Hiccup jerked from his half awake state with a strangled yelp, falling to the side then quickly scrambling on hands and knees to put the trunk of the tree between him and the invader.

Wide green eyes peered around the side of the tree to spot the faintly chuckling form of Jack, the boy he'd met yesterday. Hiccup frowned in mild outrage.

"W-what-... Were you... _trying _to give me a heart attack o-or… What reason could you possibly have to-... Did you _run_ the whole way here? What are you even-..." He edged out from behind the tree, still on his knees as he waved his hands in broad, agitated gestures, clearly irritated if his half finished sentences were anything to go by. Jack thought he somewhat resembled an angry squirrel. An _expressive _angry squirrel. Cute.

"Sorry about that, Freckles." Jack laughed.

"Hiccup," The smaller boy grumbled, giving up on his aimless attempt at interrogation and crawling back around the tree to his bag, plopping his butt back down where it had been.

"Huh?"

"My name . It's uh, Hiccup. Or have you forgotten our wonderful conversation from just yesterday?" He opened his bag, grabbing his sketchbook and a few pencils. Jack smirked and stepped over to the tree, turning and dropping to sit next to the smaller boy against the wide trunk of the tree.

"Looks like someone's grumpy today. What's got your knickers in a bunch?"

Hiccup sighed, pushing away the remnants of his irritation. "Nothing." He turned curious eyes onto the other boy. "Why _were_ you running? Trying to get away from something or… Or just _that_ eager to bother me?" His eyes darted nervously away at the last bit, flipping open his book to a blank page and selecting one of his pencils to begin blocking in broad, indistinct shapes on the paper to give himself something to focus on.

"_Bother_ you?" Jack responded, a look of righteous indignation crossing his features. "You wound me Hic! And here I was, being so benevolent as to grace you with my glorious presence two days in a row!" He threw his head back, clutching at the material over his heart. Hiccup snorted at the dramatics and eyed the other boy curiously, recognizing the evasion for what it was. He decided not to comment on it. He didn't know Jack. It wasn't his place to pry into his private life. But then again, he'd made the offer to listen to Jack's problems yesterday. Perhaps that was why the handsome boy was paying him a visit. Cashing in on that 'rain check', so to speak. Hiccup couldn't imagine any other reason someone like Jack would want to spend time with him.

"Benevolence, huh? I think a better show of benevolence would be remembering my name. It's not Freckles. It's not Hic. It's Hiccup. This?" He gestured vaguely towards Jack with his right hand while his left continued to box in shapes. "I-I don't even know what _this_ is…" A sigh, followed by an almost subconscious hunching of the shoulders. "Why are you here Jack? I can't imagine it's for the company of some scrawny sarcastic kid."

Jack blinked at the somewhat self-deprecating tone and decided to drop the teasing for now. "Come on Hic, your company isn't that bad. Don't sell yourself so short." He leaned over and gently bumped his shoulder against the smaller boy's. Said smaller boy grumbled as the bump caused his pencil to make a mark he hadn't intended. He ignored the fact that Jack had once again used a nickname rather than his actual name and grabbed an eraser to correct the mistake. He also ignored the little lurch of happiness Jack's borderline praise had caused. Admitting that something that small and vaguely kind had made him happy would just seem pathetic, even to him. "If you must know," Jack continued, "I'm avoiding someone."

"Ah" Hiccup responded, nodding in sudden understanding. "Well, this is certainly a good place to uh- to do that."

Jack hummed in agreement then just sat and watched the smaller boy sketch for a little bit. Hiccup fidgeted under the blue eyed gaze, his face beginning to heat up from the quiet attention. He decided a break in the silence was severely needed.

"So, do you feel like talking about what was bothering you yesterday? Does it have anything to do with the 'someone' you're avoiding today?" He asked almost casually, not lifting his eyes from his work. He almost wanted to pat himself on the back for how calmly and nonchalantly he'd managed to ask his question. The gods knew his stomach was no where near that calm, twisting into all kinds of anxious knots just from having Jack near him. (And what was with that anyway? Was he really so out of practice at human interaction that didn't involve bruising or yelling? Just how low had he fallen?)

Jack was quiet long enough that Hiccup paused in his sketching to glance sidelong at his visitor. Said blue eyed boy was giving Hiccup a contemplative look, as though he were considering how to respond, before he turned to stare off in front of him. Hiccup turned back to his sketch book, pencil being held motionless in his small hand, and wondered if he'd poked his nose too far into Jack's business. He was about to open his mouth and tell the other boy he didn't have to answer when Jack finally started talking.

"A bunch of people want me to do something I don't want to do and several of those people don't understand how to take 'no' for an answer. Most of them just don't understand how anyone wouldn't want to do the thing that they want me to do." Jack was frowning as he spoke. Before long Hiccup was frowning as well, though that was partially because he was confused with how vague Jack was being. He got the gist, however, that Jack was being pressured to be someone he wasn't.

"Why don't you just explain why you uh… Don't want to do what they want you to do?" He offered uncertainly, hesitantly returning to his sketching.

"Because they wouldn't understand!" Jack all but yelled, causing the smaller boy to jump and subsequently have to erase a mark he'd accidentally made. "They'd all just think less of me or start picking on me. I might even lose friends!"

Hiccup supposed he could understand. If he had any friends he wouldn't want to lose them either. Toothless was probably the closest thing he had to a friend and if saying or doing something could cause him to lose the great furry beast, he'd avoid it at all costs. He had to wonder, though, if Jack's friends were really as good as they should be if Jack could lose them by voicing an opinion. He picked over his next words carefully, making slow, light lines on his paper as Jack sat by, quietly frowning at a small purple flower in the grass in front of him.

"Are… Are you sure your friends would mind?" Jack's head turned sharply towards him, his mouth already open to affirm this, but Hiccup cut him off quickly, hands once again flying around in vague gestures. "I-I mean, if they care about you then they should care about what you think and how you feel, right? Someone who cares about you… Wouldn't… They wouldn't just brush aside your feelings like that." He trailed off almost sadly. He tried really hard not to apply his words to his own situation with his dad.

Jack's mouth slowly shut, his words falling dead in his throat. He turned to face forward again, arms crossed and brow pinched in thought. Hiccup bit his lip as he returned to his drawing. The paper was littered with smudge marks from the multiple erasures, his lines too dark in some places and too light in others. It was supposed to be woolly howl dragon in flight, but it kind of just looked like a mess. He sighed and made a small unhappy noise at the back of his throat, twirling his pencil over his fingers as he wondered if there was any way to salvage the picture.

"Wow, what is that?" The innocent question caused him to jump for the millionth time that lunch period. He really needed to get a handle on his nerves. He hadn't even noticed Jack leaning over to look at his book. His initial reaction was the desire to snap the book closed and retreat. Dragons were something that Hiccup really loved and the possibility of his love for them being sullied by scorn was very real. But Jack's wide, curious eyes had not even the vaguest hint of malice in them. He seemed genuinely interested. Cautiously, Hiccup relaxed from his tense posture and answered.

"It's a uh… a dragon. A woolly howl... to be more specific. It's a snow dragon with icy breath and scales shaped like fur."

"Really? Snow and ice huh? I think I'd get along with this guy. What else can you tell me about him?" Jack's smile was bright and childish, no sign of the brooding boy who'd been sitting there minutes before. Hiccup felt a small smile spreading across his own face at the genuine interest Jack seemed to be displaying, gladly welcoming the change in subject. Jack had confided as much as he was willing to for today, and that was enough. The rest of the lunch period was spent talking about dragons and snow. He hoped Jack would come back tomorrow. The more he talked with him, the more he learned, the more he wanted to see of him.

* * *

**Well? What do you think? You know I love to hear (read) your opinions and ideas! So leave me a pretty little review. X3 Short, long, critical... I love them all!**


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